more than this// charles gitnick

5;

My heart dropped and I felt the world around me going in slow motion. Tears brim my waterline and Charles laid his hand against her cheek as she wrapped her arms around his neck. I looked over at Joey whose jaw was clenched, defining his jawline even more.

"Fuck you Alex," I say standing up and walking to the front door.

"Hey, I was just helping you out," Alex chuckled, clearly amused by the situation.

"What? By making him kiss my best friend in front of my face?" I say, raising my voice

"I never made him do anything, he had full control to pass on my dare but he did it anyway. I was just proving that he wasn'tworth it," Alex explained, a look of sincere spread on his face as he realized the pain he had just brought me.

"And you are?" I yell. Alex opens his mouth to respond but then shuts his mouth. Everyone is staring at me now. I look over at Charles and Lexi shaking my head in disbelief. I wipe the tear that had slipped down my cheek and leave the house slamming the door.

I walk out to my car and unlock it but hesitate to get in. I begin to break down in tears before I could open the door. My head fell to where my hands rest on the top of my car and the warm tears fell down my cheeks. The pain was unbearable. I felt like my world had just came crashing down, and it's all over some stupid boy. Who would I be if I weren't broken by everyone I trusted? There was a piercing pain in my chest and I shut my eyes as tight as I could and prayed to god that it was all a dream. I opened my eyes once again in the same dark street I was just a few seconds earlier. I stood up straight and moved my hair from my face and wiped the tears from my pink cheeks.

The front door to Lexi's house opened and shut but it was too dark for me to tell who it was. I was expecting it to be Charles coming to apologize and tell me how much he loved me like they do in the movies. I almost hoped that it was Charles but I was confronted with Joey. He walked to my side of the car and gave me a sympathetic look and opened his arms wide. I hugged him as tight as I had ever hugged anyone and cried on his shoulder. He rubbed my back and whispered in my ear, reassuring me that everything was going to be okay. We pulled away after several minutes and I had now calmed down.

"I'm so stupid," I whisper.

"Are you crazy? You are the smartest girl I know. Charles is stupid for doing that to you, you deserve so much more than that," Joey said, wiping a tear from my cheek.

"You're such a great guy Joey, I'm sure Taylor didn't mean any harm."

"I wish I could say the same for Charles. He didn't seem so happy about Alex being your puppy dog," I let out a small laugh and Joey smiles.

"There's a Baskin-Robbins close by, want some Ice Cream?" I ask.

"Are you, Taylor Wells, asking me, Joey Birlem on an ice cream date?" Joey plays sarcastically. I laugh and roll my eyes and we both get into my car. The car ride there consisted of us nearly screaming the lyrics to throwback songs on the radio and considerably stupid jokes Joey kept cracking to get me to laugh.

Baskin-Robbins was pretty empty besides a crackhead couple in the back corner laughing at the logo on the soda machine because 'the bubbles are so white and cute'. Joey looked at me as he tried to hold back a laugh and I did the same. We walked up to the lady who stood half awake at the cash register. We ordered our desired flavors and she scooped them into cups, adding in the complementary plastic spoon. Joey insisted to pay because of Charles so instead of arguing with him, I smile and poke his cheek thanking him.

"Don't poke me," Joey chuckles shoving me lightly as we walked away from the counter to find a seat.

"Oh, like this?" I tease, poking his arm.